Written Evidence Apr. 24 2024
Inquiry: Preterm BirthFound: Parents’ experiences of care following the loss of a baby at the margins between miscarriage, stillbirth
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much her Department has spent on research into reducing inequalities in (a) pregnancy loss and (b) baby deaths in each year since 2015.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The Department, through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), funds a range of research in maternal and neonatal health focussing on the safety of maternity and neonatal services, and the national maternity ambition to halve maternal deaths, stillbirths and neonatal deaths and brain injury by 2025. Since 2015, the NIHR has invested in seven research awards with a specific focus on reducing inequalities in pregnancy loss and baby deaths. Across their full duration, these awards total a funding amount of £5.8 million.
Written Evidence Apr. 24 2024
Inquiry: Preterm BirthFound: Through our collective voice we want to make sure that pregnancy loss and baby death stay high on
Mar. 10 2024
Source Page: £35 million investment to boost maternity safetyFound: Social Care Secretary Victoria Atkins said: I want every mother to feel safe when giving birth to their baby
Written Evidence Apr. 24 2024
Inquiry: Preterm BirthFound: Don't just go Oh, your baby was small but we'll discuss it when you have 3 another baby.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the publication of the Hologic Global Women’s Health Index which indicated that British women are sadder and more stressed than their European counterparts, what steps they are taking to improve women's health and wellbeing.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Women’s Health Strategy sets out the Government’s plans for boosting the health and wellbeing of women and girls, and for improving how the health and care system engages and listens to all women.
Achievements since the launch of the strategy include: appointing the first Women’s Health Ambassador for England; investing £25 million of funding into the expansion of women’s health hubs to improve women’s access to services and to create efficiencies for the National Health Service; reducing the cost of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) through the launch of the HRT prescription pre-payment certificate; and creating a women’s health area on the NHS website, to bring together women’s health content and create a first port of call for women seeking information.
We are focused on delivering our priorities for 2024, which include improving care for menstrual problems, including endometriosis, and maternity care, expanding women’s health hubs, tackling disparities and supporting the most vulnerable groups, and boosting research. Recent progress includes launching baby loss certificates to support patients who have experienced a loss of pregnancy before 24 weeks, continuing to roll out women’s health hubs across the country, and running a national media campaign on periods and menopause to encourage women to contact their general practice, if symptoms are affecting their life.
Asked by: Dehenna Davison (Conservative - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that families are supported in the event of a stillborn child.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
In 2023/24, NHS England is investing £5.9 million to support the delivery of daily bereavement care services for women and families who suffer pregnancy or baby loss and is growing the number of staff trained in bereavement care.
We are also looking to improve access to and the quality of perinatal mental health care for mothers and their partners. There are now 35 Maternal Mental Health Services across England which provide psychological therapy for women experiencing mental health difficulties related to their maternity experience including resulting from loss. Services are due to be implemented in every area of the country by March 2024.
Written Evidence May. 14 2024
Inquiry: Preterm BirthFound: This commitment was born out of a profound personal tragedy of the loss of my firstborn baby, Sinead